


Glimpses: Missing scenes from Women of the Tower

by MaliciaStarling



Series: Women of fhe Tower [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, Crush, Equal Rights, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Politics, citizens united
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-05 16:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliciaStarling/pseuds/MaliciaStarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-After the hospital Steve and Darcy spend some time together.</p><p>-Christine Everbitch, Darcy's new foe.</p><p>Latest Update:<br/>"I don’t like bullies I don’t care where they’re from." -Darcy & the Avengers against Citizens United.</p><p>An expanding collection of missing scenes from my series Women of the Tower.  Chapter One will always be the index with description for each chapter/scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Index and Descriptions

**Author's Note:**

> These are not my characters I don't own them, they belong to Marvel and its respective creators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Directly after the events in The Last Recommendation of Agent Coulson

 

  1. **Index and Descriptions (you are here)**  
  

  2. **First Week at Avengers Tower**  
Scenes after [The Last Recommendation of Agent Coulson](../../../631399/chapters/1141995) (Steve & Darcy friendship)  
  

  3. **Chapter Three: Christine Everbitch**  
Scene from [Stars Burning Holes Right Through The Dark](../../../744534) in chapter 3: ["So Machiavell-me, make a (Stark) Rose"](../../../744534/chapters/1413699) After Darcy's brief encounter with Christine Everhart.  
  

  4. **"I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from."**   
Darcy & the Avengers against Citizens United.  Scene fits in somewhere in the first chapters of [Stars Burning Holes Right Through The Dark](../../../744534).  




	2. First Week at Avengers Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Directly after The Last Recommendation of Agent Coulson.
> 
> Mostly Darcy adjusting to life at Avengers Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible trigger warnings for weight issues: Darcy is having a hard time gaining weight back after the hospital stay.

Life at the Tower was... odd. Suddenly she was expected to receive guests whenever it pleased them. Everyone acted like Darcy was still in the hospital and would come by to watch movies and shows. She suspected they were trying to fatten her up because they would bring food that she would barely nibble. There was a nurse that visited once a day to help her change the bandages. Jane insisted she remain in her apartment until she returned to work. Darcy begged the nurse to give the ok go back to work. She’d been out for a full four weeks when she finally showed up downstairs, the lab assistants crowding around her and hugging her. She reminded them they’d seen her loads on the screens but that didn’t matter.

“What are you doing here?” Tony demanded, he was definitely angry.

“I work here.”

“Duh yeah and you live here but. What. Are. You. Doing?” He was looking over the breakfast stuff she’d brought and glaring at the tablet in her hands, like she was the one who was known for blowing stuff up and not him.

Darcy hugged the tablet close and stepped back. “Looking at stuff. JARVIS tell him I got the ok to return to work.”

“Miss Lewis’ nurse has indicated that she may return to work so long as she spends most of her time sitting down.” Jane had emerged from the elevator, wide eyed and annoyed.

“You didn’t tell me you’d be down here, I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“I’m fine, really I am.”

“JARVIS monitor her vitals and alert us if she’s in distress.” Bruce instructed, getting between them and Darcy, she gave him a relieved smile but he slapped a bracelet on her and she frowned.

The day went by uneventfully and she got them through quite a bit of paperwork. Tony had fired two assistants since she’d left and Darcy was trying to figure out if they’d intentionally made the mess she was staring at. As far as she could tell it had happened when she was in the hospital and recovering but gone unreported in the many emails, video conferencing and reports from JARVIS, her control over the lab was not complete. She couldn’t find anything to dispute his decision but now his mess of inventions and paper work covered most of his counters. Which explained why he’d retreated downstairs to his “super secret hero lab.” What if she was gone for days at a time? This couldn’t happen again. She set about working through the paperwork and reprogramming JARVIS to fine-tune his responses to messes and include them in reports. “DAMNIT if there’s a mess in the lab I want to know where, when, why and if its necessary!”

“Yes Miss Lewis.”

“Its Darcy, JARVIS’ I’m not mad at you by the way, only at this ridiculous mess. Sorry for yelling.”

“That’s quite all right Miss Darcy.”

“Cheeky bastard.” she grinned.

Then as three o’clock rolled around she went to the kitchenette to rest out of sight. As she grabbed an Ensure for her snack and made to sit down she felt the ground come up to meet her.

She came to in Bruce’s arms, a bright light in her eyes, “Darcy you fainted and you hit your head. Tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”

She concentrated. It looked like four, but she guessed two. Tony was glaring at her and Jane was crying.

“I personally blame gravity. Perhaps there was a gravitational well created just right here in the kitchen?”

“I have no readings indicating such an event.”

“Traitor.” she mumbled.

“How much do you weigh Darcy?” asked Bruce.

“Um dunno.”

“Miss Lewis weighs 115 lbs, four weeks ago she weighed 135.”

“That is just not fair.” When had JARVIS decided to betray her? And what could she do to appease an AI?

“You haven’t gained all your weight back, your blood pressure is erratic, you’re not well. I don’t know who your nurse is but you can’t come back to work until I clear you.” He’d sat her down on the couch. “Did you stop taking your painkillers?”

“Yeah the night I was discharged.”

“Damn it Darcy!” Jane was genuinely angry.

“What? I didn’t want to get addicted!”

“OK here’s what we’re going to do. You’ll take your painkillers only a low dosage gain back like five pounds and I’ll let you come back to work for the full day when you do.” Bruce didn’t seem disappointed just stiff but that might be because he had impeccable bedside manners. Tony wouldn’t stop glaring at her and at some point Steve had arrived.

“Why is Darcy laying down on the couch?”

“She fainted!” Jane was sounding a little shrill.

“Do you want me to take her back to Jane’s apartment?” Jane nodded, Bruce gave the ok and no one paid attention when Darcy shook her head. Tony whispered something to Steve and left. Darcy felt like an idiot and cursed her stupid injuries. Steve tried to carry her but she slapped his hands away.

“I can walk thank you very much.” he was definitely frowning, but with his full lips it looked like a pout. That irritated her to no end. “Sorry I just.... Hate being useless, stuck in bed and now for the first time in my whole life gaining weight is like hard.”

“I didn’t always look like this you know.”

“I uh didn’t have clearance to read like any of your file.” ok she did but she didn’t think it was polite to be all _I totally would have dated pre-serum Steve you were/are so adorable!_ Because harboring a crush is hard to do when you’re trying to be professional and be friends.

He took a deep breath and told her the main details. It kept her distracted as he offered her his arm and she clung to it. She grabbed the painkillers from her room and Steve sat her down on the couch, sitting across from her on an ottoman. It was close and she could see the faint blush on his cheeks, she ordered herself not to swoon. Times like these it was impossible to forget what Steve looked like though, and he still had trouble looking at her chest. Which looked even bigger now that she’d lost so much weight and she was wearing a bra, no sports bra for once (and damn she’d forgotten how much underwires hurt, but that might be the injury) or bandages to flatten her. Even with all her layers he seemed unable to look below her chin this close, well at least she could still make him uncomfortable.

“So you weren’t always this like, built?” Playing dumb was underrated, see right now? checking him out? Totally acceptable.

“Ah no.” More blushing! But seriously though. He looked so wistful and shy, lost and not at all like the leader she knew he was. No more teasing he didn’t deserve it.

“I’m sorry about the deep freeze.” Darcy was sincere now and she didn’t even bother hiding tear-filled eyes, reached for his hand instinctively and squeezed gently. Steve looked startled and she let go. “I’m honored that you would tell me.” _and completely mortified! Blame the meds!_

He took a moment to say anything. “You’re easy to talk to Darcy. I feel like I could tell you anything.” he looked down embarrassed. “I’m not used to talking this much to dames, girls, uh, women.” Now he was just a shocking shade of red. “But I seem to talk to you a lot.”

“I’m glad because you’ve seen me in the hospital, without makeup and looking half dead.” now she was embarrassed.

“I’ve seen you shot and bleeding.” he said softly. He held her hand and Darcy bit her lip. “How about I order us some real food and we watch some more I Love Lucy?” Work might have been a bust but getting this personal with Captain America was worth it. How many people could say they were friends with a superhero? _Note to self: inquire as to the girlfriend status again._

Darcy woke up on the couch alone. The tv was off and there was a little note on the remote.

_Sorry for leaving, didn’t want to wake you. I got called away. I’ll come by after I get back.  
-Steve_

Better still to be friends with Steve Rogers, literally the nicest guy Darcy had ever met.

Unfortunately the team wouldn’t return for six days. Darcy got the extra week of half-days to relax and recuperate, after lunchtime ensconced in the lab on the couch in the kitchenette because technically she wasn’t allowed to be working in the lab for the full day. And she started learning everything she possibly could about Stark Industries current projects, the media climate about SI and finally reviewing all the projects Tony was working on. (If she happened to hack into Pepper’s schedule it was completely not her fault that JARVIS didn’t keep her out). Darcy even spent some time hanging out with Jane in the lab after hours when she was actually allowed in (yet another loophole JARVIS had conveniently overlooked: not during working hours=totally allowed in!)

By the time the team returned Darcy was feeling more like herself and had gained back five pounds and was working the full day.

By then the Darcy had moved most of her crap out of Jane’s apartment and was ready to work as long as Jane and Tony. She wasn’t however prepared for life at the Tower when superheros got bored.

She started off small. Sunday brunch her and Jane cooking, or rather Darcy was cooking and Jane was keeping her company. She even conned the entire team into showing up by promising Tony not to tell Pepper Team Science had moved into the Super Secret Hero Lab until he deemed it wise to tell her. (Darcy suspected Tony had merely been lonely but the big issue is how to explain ten million dollars worth of renovations to the garage/secret labs area.) Darcy could tell Tony missed Pepper but she didn’t want to bring it up.

Even Steve showed up, late (he lived in Brooklyn after all) but with an appetite. By then Clint and Bruce were whipping up more pancakes and omelettes. Pietro had long since chopped up all the fruits and Natasha was serving mimosas, bellinis, screwdrivers, Irish coffees and lots of other drinks Darcy was not supposed to be tasting and Jane kept taking away from her. Steve acted all annoyed that the “Assemble” order had been issued for breakfast (“Its BRUNCH” everyone corrected) but then Darcy had shoved a plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon at him. He quieted down and ate gratefully.

As Darcy looked around the kitchen every single team member eating, cooking or talking it occurred to her that she’d had her mission all wrong. She was here to be the last line of defense but also she thought of what Coulson had done as a Liaison to the Avengers. He’d assembled them sure but in planning for her position as assistant he’d also shared the burden of keeping them together.

Steve was settled next to her at the counter where she was perched, disturbing her reverie, “Thanks for breakfast.”

“No problem, besides they’d taken over cooking.”

“You have a gift you know.”

“Ohhh gifts! I love gifts.” She rubbed her hands together and waggled her eyebrows.

“You know what I mean.” he laughed indulgently. “You can bring them together make them get along, keep them happy. You’re a good leader.”

Darcy knew she was blushing and cursed that she’d still not mastered that particular reaction to compliments.

“Oh its nothing.” she waved it off as she loaded the dishwasher.

“It is something Darcy. I used to know someone who had your flair for making others feel at ease.” He looked away. “Maybe we should add Sunday brunch to Thursday Movie Nights.”

“Deal!” Darcy smiled triumphantly.

Just then footsteps caught Darcy’s attention.

“Is there anything left for me?” a sweet voice asked before emerging from the hallway.

Tony turned as if controlled by another force. “Pepper!” He kissed her and she hugged him laughing. Darcy had the distinct urge to clap and squeal with delight, she settled for grinning like fool. Everyone else smiled and didn’t bother to hide their delight as they watched the couple.

“Hey Tony why don’t you show Pepper what’s left of brunch?” prompted Darcy.

“Nope nothing to eat here I’ll have to go find food to feed her. Privately.”

“Mimosa?” said Natasha handing her one.

“Omelette?” offered Clint manning the skillet again. “or pancakes?”

“Fruit?” suggested Pietro scooping some fruit into a crystal bowl. Tony just scowled. It could have been rehearsed they were so smooth, typical superheros.

As Pepper sat down ambushed with food, Darcy looked on happily, noting how Tony never quite stopped touching her.

“Did you plan that?” asked Steve quietly.

Darcy just smiled.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to write some Pepper/Tony moments! I couldn't help it :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From Stars Burning Holes Right Through The Dark: A missing scene in chapter 3: "So Machiavell-me, make a (Stark) Rose"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a tiny mention of f/f. So slight as to be a hint of a crush. You've been warned.

 

“Raahhh,” Darcy growls. “I hate that skinny blonde bitch!”

“Oh no what happened?” Jane says as she steers Darcy away from her delicate prototype.

“That reporter you know the one Tony slept with five years ago? Christine Everbitch?”  Tony hung his head, and held his hands up palms forward trying to show a little remorse but it was too little too late.

“Now that I’m with Pepper for a few days she’s switched from saying Tony and I were a thing, ew bytheway, but that I’m overweight, I’ve got no fashion sense and worse yet, she thinks I’m underqualified.”

“Why are you even listening then? She’s wrong about everything!” Jane said emphatically.

Pepper strode in her heels like sharp and staccato, “Its not just that, she managed to sneak into the press corp area and say it to Darcy’s face asking Darcy to respond. Darcy using her SHIELD training gave her the cold shoulder and now the bitch is tweeting that Darcy’s an ice queen.”

Darcy collapsed in a chair, “this is so fucking high school! How am I supposed to get anything done when I’ve got to deal with idiots like her?  A few months ago I could have broken her bare-handed!”

“Don’t get violent Darcy!” Jane exclaimed, Pepper was perched on a table reading on her cellphone while Tony scowled at Jane for saying no to the violence.

“Ugh I wish all that time in the hospital did away with my muscle tone and I’m all flab.”  Darcy poked at her upper arm, “I can’t even flex anymore.”

“I could retrain you,” said Natasha coolly no one had noticed her come in, “get you ready for other more serious threats.”

Jane was about to protest but Darcy shot up, “Its gonna hurt like hell but at least I’ll get to hit something.”

Natasha laughed, “If you get lucky enough to land a punch.”

Darcy nodded in agreement and followed the master assassin into the elevator.  

“I don’t know whether to fear for Darcy’s well-being or for anyone who ever crosses Darcy again.” mumbled Jane.

“Both is a safe bet.” answered Tony.  He peered at the prototype under the box Jane had hastily thrown over it.

“This is new!” he had JARVIS scan it before Pepper could distract him with a kiss. He broke away from Pepper’s lips for a second and said over his shoulder, “Tomorrow we talk about your new toy Jane!”

 

Jane was not under any circumstances jealous of Tony and Pepper. Or even that Darcy was becoming close friends with Natasha.  It just seemed that way because she couldn’t stop the frown as she looked around the lonely lab.  Dinner wasn’t for another hour or so and she hated wasting lab time.  She didn’t even have Bruce to chat with since he was off in some distant jungle helping with who knows what alongside Steve, Clint and the Maximoff twins.

So Jane sighed and rechecked her numbers asking JARVIS for some help and ended up getting lost in her work all over again.

Meanwhile Darcy was changing into some extra sweats from a supply cabinet in the locker room.  Natasha wanted to put her through her paces and it was going to hurt like a bitch so she took two ibuprofen before heading back out there.

 

“I’m pathetic,” Darcy said, as she lay on the mat. “You haven’t even hit me and I’m already laid out.”  that gave her naughty thoughts about her and Natasha doing other things together with less clothes on but she didn’t say anything.  The last thing she needed was a crush on her new friend. But she did need to get laid.

Natasha just peered down at her, “I’ll tell Jarvis what you need to do every day and we’ll work one on one after a week so you can build up your endurance.”

“Its hopeless, I’m hopeless, just give me a gun I’m a pretty good shot.”

“Don’t you remember? You don’t actually have a gun license anymore.”

“Pfft. I’ll go get one then.”  Darcy groaned as she sat up, seeing more and more of Natasha’s smooth curves as she did so. Focus Darcy! Natasha’s a friend not a sex object! But when Natasha pulled her up and they stood chest to chest Darcy could have sworn there was the hint of a smile on her lips.

That night after Tony, Pepper, Natasha, Jane and Darcy had a late night dinner at a fancy restaurant that didn’t even have prices on the menu (Darcy was getting somewhat used to that but Jane’s eyes would still bug out). They chatted in the limo and Pepper quietly told Darcy she’d set up an appointment for her the next day with a great plastic surgeon, and anticipated any refusal by declaring that if Darcy didn’t like the doctor she could always see another two or three she’d set up appointments with.

  
All Darcy could do was say thank you and eat her gelato.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Should I change the tags?


	4. "I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set sometime during the beginning of Stars Burning Right Through The Dark, just a random evening. It starts out with Darcy and Steve's ritual of watching I Love Lucy and quickly turns to discussing the Citizens' United decision. Steve does not approve. 
> 
> It will involve the whole team and lots of trying to make sense of things that don't make sense: politics and why businesses have so much power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for FuckyeahDarcyLewis' July Challenge:
> 
> "It’s that time of the year! let’s have some fun with the national holidays! Your work has to have a connection to any national holiday out there (American, french, canadian, any country you want really) and to celebrate equal rights."

 

 

Darcy notices Steve hasn’t been watching I Love Lucy today.  He’s not laughing and he’s just been reading on his laptop.  Two episodes of watching him make his “Captain America does not approve face,” and she finally turns off the tv.  She’s all caught up with the emails from the lab assistants and frankly would really like to know what’s up with Steve.

“Ok Steve out with it.  And don’t tell me its classified because you’ve twice left your laptop open where I could get at it without logging out.”

“Its nothing really.”  he says quietly looking up at her and registering that Darcy has put her laptop away. He shifts his own laptop off his lap and leans forward.  “Ok so this is embarrassing like all my questions from the past to now are, ‘the transition’ as they head doctors call it, but I don’t understand why its taking so long for there to be more action against the Citizens United decision.”

Darcy kinda just blinked for a second and then asked cautiously, “ok how much reading have you done and how much is actually still stuff that you don’t understand versus just wanting to do something about it?”

Steve smiles.  He should have known Darcy wouldn’t underestimate his intelligence or  condescend to him.  “I’ve been reading about it pretty much since I learned how to use a computer by myself but there are so many different problems that keep coming up and sometimes I don’t pay attention to it for weeks at a time.”

That was putting it mildly of course. “Yeah well you can be excused for time spent saving the world.” Darcy grinned at him but she felt a profound ache for the time when she was in college and she thought she could make a difference in politics or as an attorney.  Idealism had no place in a place like SHIELD.   

“But it seems to me that all this stuff against womens’ rights’ and the GOP in various states working against women’s rights and even lots of the EPA’s restrictions can be traced back to businesses spending so much money in politics.”  He seemed a bit deflated, kinda like a puppy might look if they’d been kicked, very wrong and very much like the world owed him some good news.  “I mean I want to do something but I don’t have enough money or time and the only rich guys I know are already using their money for good... so whats taking so long to get this ratified? And how can Captain America help?”

Darcy pulled her laptop back and brought up a few screens, then grabbing her protein shake she stood and led the way out.  The conference room that the team was supposed to use was perfect but no one really hung out there so she didn’t have to worry about being in the way. Also the holo displays were the best here.  

“Ok this is going to take a while mostly because it frustrates me too but more because you have to understand about the way our focus has been diverted.”

First Darcy brought up all the states that had taken action against Citizens United.  They were only about a dozen and she ordered JARVIS to make a bunch of searches on current bills in state senates.  Then she had a large map of the US put up and compared it with the data.

“We’ve only got the dozen or so who have passed resolutions through legislature or a ballot initiative calling for Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision.”  Darcy made them all one color and then minimized the map.  Then she called up a list of pending legislation that hadn’t passed.  It was less than ten.  

“If we focus first on numbers of representatives we absolutely needed California, New York and Texas, they’re are the heaviest hitters and the ones with the most votes in the House. We need those states to make the most of their votes.  So far we only have California.”  She pointed to Steve’s laptop.  “JARVIS bring up some of the articles Steve’s already read, keep that in a small window and put it to the side. Now  bring up all the blue and red counties... ugh no that will get too confusing.”

The problem, thought Darcy, was getting an easy way for Steve to contribute without making him a target for corporations who were currently giving him free press.  How the fuck could she do that and make it streamlined visually?

Slowly and painfully Darcy started going through the articles Steve had read and finally got the idea to ask JARVIS to look up what was trending on twitter and on the main news networks.  She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes about an hour or two had passed and Steve hadn’t eaten anything because he’d been brainstorming his own ideas for making his position known without stepping on toes.  And then doodling.  Lots of cartooning New Yorker-style.  He  was currently inspecting the map that had been minimized (the one with only a dozen or so states who’d passed the resolutions) and started asking JARVIS his own questions.  “Who’s blocking this legislation and where does this money come from?”  

This brought up a whole new visual that was JARVIS’ creation.  It showed quite effectively that the money was coming from a twenty or so corporations could be traced back to the Koch brothers, the Walton (owners of Wal-Mart) family, what Darcy called Big Pharma and the oil companies.  

“We have a fucking oligarchy.”  muttered Darcy angrily as she tossed her straw through the image of the map.  Steve was sitting in silence on the table and they sat like that until a voice broke through their reverie.

“Its not hopeless you know.”  Natasha’s voice made Darcy jump but Steve just nodded.  

“Tony and Pepper aren’t up there pulling strings against Citizens United.” Clint added.

Darcy’s eyes were thankfully saved from falling out of her head by her glasses.  Apparently the assassins were on Tony’s side.

“No but they don’t have the kind of money to be throwing against this problem, you know  because they just pledged most of it towards rebuilding New York.”  Darcy brought up another graphic showing how much Stark Industries had and how much Tony was worth against the amount of money represented by the “oligarchy” a term Darcy had started calling them in her head but now added to the graphic.

Nat grabbed a laptop and started bringing up more articles and taking their numbers and making graphics while Clint edited the main map with more commands to JARVIS.  Darcy wanted to laugh at Natasha’s prim “Natalie Rushman” attitude whilst tapping away macros to manipulate the data into manageable digestible summaries and visuals.  Clint had even taken off his hearing aid and was perched at the back of the room reading the visuals that Natalie was presenting, snorting disapproval or taking the time to pinch and warp image up close. He seemed to be frustrated with its two-dimensionality.  Who wouldn’t be? So much of it was text and not easily represented into graphs and “soundbites” for Steve to mention casually.  They had decided at some point that since Captain America shouldn’t be out there making speeches he should be presenting his opinion as succinctly and as clearly as possible.  

Darcy was glad she was surrounded by her Avengers, she would not have pegged these three as the most interested in things like wealth and economies and the balance of power.  Well Steve yeah because he knew how screwed the American people were getting by corporations who were using elected officials to push their legislation through.  And still that surprised her she didn’t know why it surprised her though. Now that she remembered more of her American history from the Reconstruction through the Great Depression it was obvious these were problems that had shaped Steve’s entire life.  He’d grown up in a different New York, one that wasn’t gentrified and where slums, and homelessness weren’t just night problems they were in everyone’s face daily.  The Occupy Wall Street movement had begun right after he’d woken up it would have been nearly impossible for him to miss unless SHIELD had hidden him away.  Wall Street and others across America had been lined with protesters.  Anger visible, desperation and fatigue written on another generation of Americans.  And yet... of all the things that baffled him, the little slip ups of social convention (he still stood when a woman entered the room if it wasn’t Natasha who looked ready to shoot daggers at him for doing so) he had apparently devoted the majority of his time to take on the biggest bullies.   The whole thing was making her feel sick to her stomach because of how much larger the problem was now than it seemed to be even a few hours ago.  For the whole of 2012 she’d let all her previous concerns about reforming Wall Street and fixing the social inequality all her energy had become devoted to SHIELD, training and now she was even working for The Man.  A good man and woman the best she could hope for really but still she’d not only bought into the system she was comfortably sitting in a glass tower. Literally.

She looked down at her drink realized some cool water would help her stomach this dizzying influx of information. 

Steve seemed to sense Darcy’s difficulty moving or maybe her quiet and asked her what it was she needed, “just some water with ice,” she asked gratefully.  She watched as the room was slowly filled up with more detailed reports and graphics and ordered snacks from the nearest deli.  Cold cuts, salads and fruit trays.  Team Science would need food and so would everyone else.  “You know Steve this reminds me of why I choose Poli Sci in the first place.  I wanted to change the world and make a difference and politics seemed the best way to do it. Then Thor happened and so I started training for SHIELD and now working with Tony and Pepper and I finally thought I was in a position to make a difference.”  She paused because she was getting more than a little upset and finding it difficult to control her emotions.  Steve listened intently, but she had to continue.  “But how do we fight these monied monsters?”

“That’s kinda why I asked you,” he admitted sheepishly and smiled at her.  

Darcy grinned at him, “that’ll show you to trust me.”

“But you’re started all these inquiries with JARVIS and I never would have been able to track it down.” He gestured at the rendering JARVIS was making of the paths that top 2% of the  was making towards legislation and as it grew Darcy recognized something.  It was there in her brain an old idea elusive but real.

“You’re pretty sharp you would have caught up eventually I mean you’ve adapted to so much of our future.  I’m starting to think you like to let people think you’re still stuck in the past.”  She was fond of Steve, and beginning to think that he liked to keep people thinking he was dense.

 “Eh its not that simple, I don’t like so much of what’s going on that everytime I learn something else that’s wrong in the world, things I thought would be fixed by prosperity and the end of the War... I remember being a kid thinking that with time everything would be so much better.  So I really am stuck in the past hoping the future had turned out better than it has.”

“We can always change it Steve. It’ll get better.  They seem mighty now but I’ve got resources we’ll make a difference.”  Darcy wanted to make things better for Steve, wanted to prove her young idealistic self right and make her Nana Golda proud.  Would like to honor Mom’s memory with fighting the good fight. 

Tony and Bruce were holding bags of food Jane being dragged along by the Maximoff twins.  She was quite literally trying to wrestle back her tablet from Pietro.  

Darcy helped them set everything out and everyone descended on the food.  “Tony I’ve seen your financials your money is tied up in rebuilding New York and...” she didn’t finish what she was going to say.  It was not widely known among the Avengers that Tony was bleeding money.  It was literally in Darcy’s new contract that she not divulge the financials to anyone outside of Tony, Pepper or JARVIS. Tony fixed her with a brief glare as if to say, “watch it.”  If anyone else noticed they said nothing.

“We are not stupid Tony, we know how much you’ve spent rebuilding New York and how much its taking to keep us all employed and that your shares aren’t where they were before the Recession.” Bruce was sitting crosslegged on a table sipping at a chai and munching on some hummus and pita chips.  “You’ve done enough for us and its time we figured out how to fight things without causing collateral damage.” Bruce had made no secret of the fact that he knew about the fracking that was happening, an old friend had lived in Dimok Pennsylvania and been forced to move due to health problems  soon after the fracking had started.  But no one wanted to talk about it because well, the Big Guy.

As Pietro rearranged the furniture and everyone  sat down comfortably, Wanda worked her probability magic on the graphic flow of money from the wealthiest corporations and individuals to the legislation, organizations like Americans for Prosperity and other superpacs.  As they chewed and chatted quietly musing the graphics and Wandas eyes seemed to glow and she called on JARVIS to give her the data for all the political contributions to every conservative candidate through any financial records he could find.  JARVIS was busy processing that request when a light shone forth from Clint’s laptop and Jane’s tablet.  Information in the form of links to pictures and links seemed to grow like a supernova around the formerly very static and see through graphic Wanda had been working with.  Wanda did her floaty thing and Pietro ordered everyone stand back as glass and metal electricity and light converged on the graphic.  It was no longer a graphic but a three dimensional growing model of what looked like neurons crudely formed of glass shards and reforming and melting together into a thing that shivered like a living moving organism.

“Now show them the other 90% of American citizens.” She instructed.  A small lump appeared holographic and at the level of the tables.  “There are forces unaccounted for at work here I cannot... what is...?”  Wanda’s energy was flagging, and Pietro steadied her.

Darcy knew now what it was.  “JARVIS factor in entertainment and infotainment news segments, what does the mainstream media cover, factor in the screen with twitter and google trends.  Use the analytics of the most used words for the last 20 years to show where attention has been shifted concerning politics.”

Natasha nodded and typed up more commands giving shape and substance to nebulous forms above the representation of the other 98% of American citizens.  Darcy grabbed the nearest tablet and pulled up a copies of Tad Williams’ Otherland series.  “Using these passages as parameters, come up with a small scaled version of what Mr. Sellars’ had grown in the virtual world of the book.”

“In the Otherland books they dealt with two realities, but we’ve only got one reality and due to its limitations this little virtual garden is far less complex than what Wanda’s created.  Money is flowing in Wanda’s but we need to see how attention is being diverted and this kind of corruption and political influence is still allowed to persist.” Darcy was excited because Wanda was nodding in approval and even Jane seemed to be paying close attention reaching up and touching the connections and how it would display clearly the information those strands contained.

Wanda sagged and Pietro caught her in time.  One hand raised she made the last connection with a power source and then the thing really was connected and growing on its own.

“Ah Wanda is that thing alive?”  Pepper asked from the doorway.

“No it is not self-aware, it is similar to your robots made and needing energy but sterile.”  She drank some water. “I will need to update it manually with raw materials if the holographs cannot be embedded to keep it growing visually.”

Jane seized at the opportunity to inspect the structure and the power supply.  “Actually Tony we can get a few nanites and a dedicated robot to supply raw materiels and keep adding the tech.  We’ll just need to keep this room cordoned off until the shards are all cleaned up.”

Everyone looked down at the glassy mess that was shining on the floor and sorta shrugged.  The way Wanda had nudged the glass out of the building hadn’t exploded everywhere and had just been morphed into the shape she had wanted. They were in no danger of being cut by the tiny shards but Jane was thinking about the future.  

“So this is it then?  You guys uncover where the power really lies in America?”  Pepper said now sitting down next to Tony, long elegant legs folding underneath her as she accepted a sandwich from Tony.  “Don’t you guys ever do fun stuff?” Poor Pepper this was probably not news to her, but she wasn’t bitter more just resigned.

Darcy snorted with laughter, “yeah like you’re fooling anyone here Miss Potts, you’re still in your power suit.”  Teasing was good, its what Pepper needed right now, Darcy was rewarded with a small wink.

Jane rolled her eyes at Darcy’s impertinence.  “You are so rude she’s your boss,” her look seemed to say to Darcy.

“Well we’re trying to figure out how to make the citizenry rise up and take back their government.” Steve said.   _Whoa_ thought Darcy, _who started the revolution without me?_

That stopped Jane’s reproachful look.  Everyone in the room seemed at a loss.  Most of everyone there had been ensconced in places of power due to their enhancements, training, their experience or their knowledge for a long time.  Darcy was the lone representative of the average voter, what with her bachelors degree and her short employment history.  She was keenly aware however that with her current salary she would soon be rising to the top 5% of the country in personal worth.

 “I’m the only normal one here.” Darcy stated, “And even I haven’t checked twitter or the news for anything not Stark related since before I started boot camp.”  Not to mention she’d deleted her tumblr, facebook, and stopped watching her shows.  For all intents and purposes the fangirl that once was Darcy Lewis was dead and gone.  She only existed now to recommend movies and books but she had no freaking idea how to relate that to these people she called her friends now.  Well she had no idea to do it properly besides her Whedon-laden repartee.  She wondered idly if anyone in her “normal” online and college life missed her.  

“So in order to understand how to take back the government we need to understand what?” Jane asked.  

“I guess we watch the elections?  Track how the politics are going?  Figure out how to raise awareness about what's really in the publics’ interests?”  Darcy was reaching now for some grasp on the lump that represented the American people and the nebulous forms that floated around it.  They were back at square one.  What would it take to get the American people to rise up and take back their government?  
  

 

* * *

  ** ** **  
******<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/citizens-united-campaign_n_3574631.html>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29>

<http://www.businessinsider.com/largest-economies-world-gdp-2013-6>

<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2009/full_list/>

<http://www.globaltrends.com/knowledge-center/features/shapers-and-influencers/66-corporate-clout-the-influence-of-the-worlds-largest-100-economic-entities>

<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2009/full_list/>

<http://www.businessinsider.com/largest-economies-world-gdp-2013-6>

[http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7717553](http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7717553) **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something I'm very passionate about I would appreciate any feedback you can give me! If you want to drop me a message at my tumblr maliciastarling.tumblr.com.


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